The American Society for Testing and Materials ("ASTM") standard for Environmental Assessments was revised in 2013 for the first time since 2005. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has now adopted the updated...more

A new Phase I environmental site assessment standard has been approved for use in 2014, providing the most current set of environmental site assessment practices for real estate and many M & A transactions. The new Phase I...more

Effective December 30, 2013, the EPA acted to amend the standards and practices for conducting all appropriate inquiries (“AAI”) to embrace an update to ASTM International standards, and to expressly bring vapor issues to the...more

On December 30, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) amended its “All Appropriate Inquiries” rule, which sets out the standard for environmental due diligence in commercial and industrial property...more

Effective December 30, 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has amended its regulations for site assessments in real estate transactions to add a new standard, ASTM E1527-13, as satisfying the agency’s requirements...more

As noted in the post “EPA Gets the Vapors and Commercial Real Estate Feels the Chill,” EPA is now addressing the issue of vapor intrusion – harmful vapors from soil contamination migrating into buildings. The agency is doing...more